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Installing stereo speakers

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/06/2007 : 21:55:21

What's the best way to get speaker wires from the port side bulkhead back to the "sail locker". I've got a traditional interior and I'm installing the stereo in the "wall" behind the galley area to the right of the wiring panel. What problems will I encounter trying to snake them back under the settee? I'm open to any suggestions.

DavidP
1975 C-22 SK #5459 "Shadowfax" Fleet 52
PO of 1984 C-25 SK/TR #4142 "Recess"
Percy Priest Yacht Club, Hamilton Creek Marina, Nashville, TN

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 10:50:55

I have installed speakers two places in the cockpit, Both have worked well. The coaming location had very good base response, the sternrail location required much larger speakers to sound OK.

On the inside I believe the best location is at the main bulkheads. Sometimes you want to play it loud, that is cool, but sometimes you want is soft so people can talk. With the speakers on the main bulkheads they point out into the cockpit and contribute at low levels. If all you have is speakers in the aft bulkhead/power wall and somewhere on the starboard side you will have to turn them up too loud to hear them well outside. You will mostly hear the base from the sail locker and it will sound bad.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3431 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 11:33:06

frank,

I do not know what I am more envious of...your photos or the improvements you have made !

David,

My '89 is set up different than yours. For me, getting the wires toward the back I run wires either along the side of the hull (on the interior - duh !) or adjacent to the bilge area. Then behind the sink/drawers, there are wires coming thru a hole in that bulkhead into the storage locker. That hole is where I would feed new wires..if you also have one in a similar location on your boat.

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 12:57:57

Forget the wiring. Get an IPOD with a speaker base.
I have a Harmon Kardon ($170 Costco) that I leave on the boat. No wires, and I can use it in the cockpit, in the cabin or take it ashore.
I also have a Bose speaker base that I keep at home. ($230 Costco)

Both have excellent sound, are completely mobile.

You can mount your ipod speaker base on any of a variety of GPS or Cell phone or computer mounts that are readily available, if you want it secured and out of the way. We had considered this, but found again, that simple is best.

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 13:25:39

I have mounted speakers on the interior bulkhead pointing toward the cockpit like in the picture above, at the level about where your fan is. I have run the starboard speaker wire up over the head doorway to the port side with surface clips ( so I can undo the mess later if I don't like it, and intend to run both wires together back to the electrical panel wall over the galley to where the radio is to go. I've already cut the hole for the radio unit. If I drill a hole in the forward end of the port shelf and drop the wires in, is there open space for the wires to drop down to the storage hatches so I can run them back through the galley area to the sail locker?

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 15:03:52

There is a lot of space between the hull and the backrests of your settees. I have used a 1" hole saw and put a hole through the bulk head for wiring, I have it at shelf level because I have AC cords and speaker wire coming through there to a powerstrip on the shelf. You can just see 2 black AC cords coming from the head area, (they are to the central vac behind the head and the refrigerator in the V-berth). I then have another 1" hole just behind the corner of the back rest which is where the speaker wire runs, I use zip ties to hold the wires together as they run behind the seat. As you get to the gally you should find a route down low to get under the galley and back to the fiberglass bulkhead under the teak power wall. I drilled through there to access the sail locker. As I often say, there is a lot of ideas on my pages. On my '82 I bolted my Guest Battery charger to the fiberglass bulkhead in the sail locker to keep the prodigious heat out of the interior. You will notice that I mounted my radios on both of my boats in pods so I would not have to cutout a location.

Edited by - Frank Hopper on 09/07/2007 17:29:26

indiejoe
Deckhand

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USA
23 Posts

Response Posted - 09/07/2007 : 17:00:42

I use a Sirius boombox. No new holes in the boat.

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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 09/10/2007 : 21:04:04

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">What's the best way to get speaker wires from the port side bulkhead back to the "sail locker".<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
On my boat, the molded gusset that runs under the deck, just inside the hull / deck joint is hollow. The end is open inside the port side sail locker. I was able to push a wire through the gusset from the sail locker 5' but I ran out of wire. I was just seeing if it was open all the way forward and it appears it is. I don't know why you couldn't pull the wire through there. You'd have to drill a hole int he forward end somewhere to get the wire to exit the channel.
Borrowed a picture from Frank

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 09/10/2007 : 22:50:15

Thanks, I'll check it out.

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2007 : 08:04:39

On my boat, the gusset you point to with the arrows in the picture above is more of an open lip and some of the boat's electrical wiring is attached along there. I ended up running the speaker wires along the electrical wiring. looping them through those wires to hold them in place, and drilling a hole in the galley bulkhead, up high in the corner, just large enough for the 2 speaker wires to pass through. Not the prettiest arrangement, but it looks like it's going to work, as long as I don't have to do any major electrical wiring replacements.

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DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2007 : 09:02:26

On my boat I really wanted to a)cut as few holes as possible; b)get the best sound out of my speakers I could; and c) take up as little space as possible. So I recessed 2 as far forward as I could in either settee. Using the boat for a speaker box makes for great sound!

bought 2 speakers with their own box so I can take them up to the cockpit if I want or leave them below. No added clutter topside!

And I put the stereo itself in a place where it's very accessible but totally out of the way.

And last but not least you've got to have the remote! It's got a nice long cord so you can take it to the cockpit or even all the way forward.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3431 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2007 : 09:17:46

I use a GE mini-Boombox which takes up little room in the cockpit. Only drawback to this unit is that it has no DC adapter plug and relies on 6 "C" batteries (I am using rechargeables). Occasionally, we will bring our XM receiver and listen to it thru the boombox.

I like Dave's use of the remote for his permanent radio setup. That to me is the way to go if I upgraded from the boombox.

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2007 : 22:46:32

Okay, one project completed, well 99%. Speakers are installed, again referencing Frank's picture above, they are almost identical to Frank's speakers but higher up on each side of the boat about where his fan is. Got the radio wired up today. It's mounted in the galley bulkhead next to the shore power polarity switch. Got the speakers connected to the wiring harness (for now I'm using only 2 0f 4 available speakers) and then realized, oh cr_p, the power wires are too short to make it to the circuit board and all my electrical supplies are at home 40 miles away. I've definitely been away from the Boy Scouts too long; I was not prepared! (By the way, you know it gets pretty hot down in that sail locker. I can fit in there, but it's a tight squeeze.) Okay, so it's off to Radio Shack for wire, connectors and tape. Got everything connected, turned on the power and hurrah, it works. And it sounds oh so good. Now, all I need to do is fashion a stabilizing bracket from the pin on the back of the radio to the shelf below; the radio is still a little loose in the mounting bracket. Also, for now, I'm going to leave the AM/FM antenna on the shelf inside the sail locker in the forward corner. doesn't seem to hurt signal reception. Thanks again for everyone's input.

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